Monday, March 31, 2008

On Rereading Little House on the Prairie

As a child, I was a "Little House on the Prairie" nut. I read all the books (identifying with the adventurous, spunky Laura, of course, instead of the older, quieter, and more obedient Mary) and was devoted to the sometimes-sappy and not-altogether-faithful-to-the books television series starring the lovely Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert. I was touched by the fact that Melissa Gilbert, close to my age, ended up having a premature baby like I did. When we were traveling through the midwest when I was 16, I thought often of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her adventures, and we visited a Laura Ingalls Wilder museum.

I recently saw a web site by the actress that played wonderful villain Nellie Oleson, Alison Angrim, called "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch"! (I love it!)

Recently, I've been thinking of reading the Little House books with my children, although I'm sure they won't relate to them as easily as I did, thanks to their gender.

So imagine my delight today when I read this wonderful essay about the Little House books in one of my favorite e-zines, Literary Mama. Carol Paik, the author, perfectly captures why I so loved the series and views the world through the lens of Ma, instead of Laura. Now I really must go reread these books to bring back the memories and explore these stories with my children.